MONORAIL TRANSIT WAY AGREEMENT

On Tuesday, July 6, the Council approved the Transit Way Agreement between the Seattle Monorail Authority (SMP) and the City of Seattle, which allows use of the City's Rights-of-Way for the Ballard to West Seattle monorail line.

Although I voted against the Monorail Alignment Ordinance because of serious concerns about some alignment issues and about the finances of the current monorail project, I voted for the Transit Way Agreement, for two principle reasons.

First, the Council made it clear that this is not a 'green light' for the monorail, but rather a 'flashing yellow', which says proceed with caution. The Council specified that no construction permits may be granted unless and until the Council votes affirmatively that the results of an independent financial review demonstrate that the line can be constructed within the financial resources available.

While the SMP is the agency charged with constructing the monorail, the Council is responsible for protecting all of the interests of the citizens of Seattle, and took on this formidable assignment of making the financial call. We did so because my concerns about the finances of the monorail are shared by most of my colleagues. While we are respectful of the autonomy of the SMP, it is our job to determine if it is appropriate to use the rights-of-way that we hold in trust for this purpose.

The basis for the financial analysis was laid out in a resolution authored by Councilmember Jim Compton. The Council accepted amendments I offered to ensure that the analysis includes an assessment of appropriate reserves and contingencies, a range of sensitivity analyses to test varying assumptions about issues such as the growth of license tab revenues and changes in interest rates, and a provision that the analysis must use a conservative estimate of farebox revenues shared with Metro buses unless there is an agreement that defines these more clearly.

My second reason for supporting this agreement is that it is a carefully designed system that ensures that a monorail system would be built in a way that works, using principles that would be applied to any similar transportation system. The City is fully protected from liability through insurance provisions, and a removal bond that must be posted in the event that construction is unable to be completed. The agreement gives the City control over construction sequencing, especially important downtown with Sound Transit construction underway and Viaduct replacement pending. The agreement also includes mitigation provisions for affected businesses, for Metro transit, and for parking issues that may arise at stations, and includes requirements for pedestrian connections and access improvements to ensure that connections can be made, including a pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks at Safeco Field. The Executive negotiated a very strong agreement, and the Council's amendments strengthened it still further.

I am still concerned that, because the system has so little actual design completed, it is not possible to specify the mitigation as much as would be optimum, and many important details are left to the permitting process. The Council's financial analysis must include a substantial reserve to meet these requirements.

The next step for the Council is to engage the independent financial consultant, while SMP will select and negotiate with a contractor. With the Monorail Recall Initiative certified for the ballot, and the dramatic rise in steel prices likely leading to increased construction cost estimates, there will be a number of challenges for this project in the fall.

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FAMILIES AND EDUCATION LEVY

On July 12 the City Council unanimously adopted a proposed extension of the City's Families and Education Levy for submission to the voters at the September primary. This is the second extension of this important program, which was proposed initially by then-Mayor Norm Rice in 1990 and renewed in 1997.

The Families and Education Levy funds programs for health care, family involvement, before and after school activities, and childcare. Levy programs ensure that the children who come to the Seattle Schools have support to be ready for school and able to concentrate on success in the school environment. While the School District has the primary responsibility for academic programs, good public schools are vital to a healthy city. The Families and Education Levy promotes partnership among schools, youth, parents, communities, and the City to create a City that works for all.

The proposal submitted by the Mayor significantly increased the Levy's size, and made major changes in Levy direction. The plan focused the Levy more on academic achievement, eliminated some programs, and shifted others that have shared funding from both the Levy and the City's general fund to the general fund. The Mayor's plan reduced funding for school health clinics, school nurses, and middle school support programs, while emphasizing support for high-risk middle and high school youth, new models of family involvement, and a major initiative focusing on ensuring that 4-year olds are ready for school. It also included a strong evaluation component.

The Council respected and endorsed the new initiatives, but was concerned about losing currently successful programs. We also believed that the new evaluation component placed too much emphasis on test scores, which are an academic measure that the School District is responsible for. I pointed out that the size of the Levy had not been increased since the original vote in 1990, and that the Mayor's proposed increase only tracked the rate of inflation and did not provide new resources. I also expressed worry about our ability to fund the child care and family support centers proposed to be shifted to the general fund in the light of the City's budget struggles, and suggested that it might be more appropriate to consider adding these back into the Levy. The original Levy was $69 million over 7 years; the Mayor proposed $104 million; I suggested that we should consider asking the voters for $140 million - still less than $100 per year for the median household.

After much discussion, the Council agreed with me that the evaluation should not be based solely on test scores, but should consider a range of relevant factors. The Council also reinstated funding for the middle school support program and school nurses, and restored most of the funding for family support workers and school health clinics. The Council added some additional funding for childcare, but decided that it was not willing to fully fund all of the programs proposed for shifting to the general fund. The final package is approximately $117 million over a seven-year period, or about $65 per year for a median value home.

It is unusual for the Council to add funding to a Mayoral proposal. The Council did so because of our strong commitment to the health and success of Seattle's youth, and our recognition of the vital importance this has to the future of our city. Strong leadership from Councilmembers David Della and Peter Steinbrueck, in particular, helped to forge a consensus that I enthusiastically support.

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SOUTH LAKE UNION STREETCAR

On Tuesday, July 27, I announced two ordinances relating to the proposed South Lake Union streetcar. The ordinances have the support of a majority of the Council, and I expect passage at Transportation Committee on Tuesday, August 10 and full Council on Monday, August 16.

The legislation encourages the development of the South Lake Union streetcar and releases certain non-City generated funds for additional preliminary design and engineering work. It also funds study of a possible extended streetcar network, with an immediate priority for extending the current streetcar into the Chinatown/International District and along the Jackson Street corridor. Seven Councilmembers have signed a letter to Sound Transit asking that the Jackson Street extension be reviewed as part of Sound Transit Phase II.

The legislation also includes a series of provisions that condition possible future final approval of a streetcar, including:

• The City of Seattle will not financially contribute to or be responsible for any costs for design, engineering, or construction, including any project cost overruns, except for any assessment the City may be responsible for as a property owner within a streetcar LID.
• A capital funding plan and plan for cost overruns must be developed and reviewed, and grants and other funds required must be secured.
• No City General Fund dollars will be used to subsidize streetcar operations and maintenance, and there must be a long-range, sustainable business plan.
• Funding of operations and maintenance will not require the use of Metro service hours that the City is entitled to.
• An existing transit agency is willing, able, and legally committed to operating and maintaining the streetcar.

This is a compromise proposal that advances the streetcar idea, while making it clear that scarce City resources must be conserved for longstanding needs in other neighborhoods and the challenges of maintaining transportation infrastructure. Streetcars can be a helpful transit option and an amenity for development, but the proposed streetcar is not a cost-effective transit option nor is it essential to further development in South Lake Union. Given the tight City budget, we must be cautious in funding amenities.

Many businesses have offered to partially fund the South Lake Union streetcar, and Mayor Nickels has secured a number of grants for the project. I welcome the interest of the business community, and have discussed this proposal with them. As Co-Chairs Ada Healy and Jim Falconer wrote on Friday, July 24: "Build the Streetcar agrees that the City's financial participation in the project is limited to the City's share of the local improvement district."

In addition to the work on the South Lake Union Streetcar, the Council legislation also supports technical work for a line continuing it to the University of Washington and a possible extension of the Waterfront Streetcar through the Chinatown/International District and along South Jackson Street. Future connections could link the two lines, allowing for a single maintenance base. Community members in the Chinatown/International District have long been asking for the Jackson Street extension.

A streetcar network has many potential benefits. While it would be difficult to commit scarce City dollars, the Council fully supports finding creative ways to finance such a network.

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QUOTE
"The strength of free peoples resides in the local community. Local institutions are to liberty what primary schools are to science; they put it within the people's reach; they teach people to appreciate its peaceful enjoyment and accustom them to make use of it."

--Alexis de Tocqueville

DEEP THOUGHT:
"In my room, the world is beyond my understanding; but when I walk I see that it consists of three or four hills and a cloud."

--Wallace Stevens, "Of the Surface of Things"

Citizen participation and engagement are critical for maintaining democracy -- fostering it is a key task of elected officials. It's my hope that this newsletter will inform you about issues, inspire you to get involved, and that together we can make things work better in this great city. Please send me your feedback, so we can keep things lively, interesting, and useful. And please forward it along to friends who might be interested. You can get more information or send me feedback through the City Council website at http://cityofseattle.net/council/

Richard Conlin
Your Seattle City Councilmember

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